**
Starring Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Alfred Molina, Andy Garcia, John Cleese, Emily Mortimer, Lily Tomlin, Aishwarya Rai, Yuki Matsuzaki and Jeremy Irons.
Directed by Harald Zwart.
This might be amusing to nine-year-olds, but I think I cracked a smile once. Kevin Kline knew to bail, but somehow Steve Martin still got a talent around him to help him out, including getting the invaluable John Cleese to step in as Dreyfus. If you've ever wanted to see Andy Garcia and Alfred Molina engage in Three Stooges level gags (they do get their faces planted in cakes at one point) then this is your movie.
The plot has an international thief stealing the most valuable possessions in the world. The Shroud of Turin, the Imperial Sword, St. Peter's Ring, and of course, the Pink Panther. So inspectors from the around the world unite to find the thief. The inspectors are all fairly competant at their jobs and therefore come to view Clouseau as a fool. And who wouldn't.
Even Jeremy Irons shows up. Academy-Award winner Jeremy Irons as a reformed thief. I half-expected a third-act cameo from Michael Caine. Alas, it didn't happen.
If this movie was released forty years ago, it'd probably be a smash. But what's considered funny has evolved. Good comedy always comes from surprise, and this has none.
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